ballstonspa

Location: Central NC Credentials: BSN, specialty certification Experience: 35 years Specialty: Endoscopy Facility: Large 1000 bed teaching hospital Unit expectations: You have to know how to do everything (all aspects of GI, basic cases,advanced cases, including endoteching for ERCP-) Base Pay:$35/hour- no differential for BSN or certification On Call Pay: About $3/hour-same pay when called in-our call is on the weekends, but we don't get weekend diff when called in Pension plan-vested after 5 years Decent amount of PTO, but that is slowly being decreased Basic health insurance used to be free, but that is also no longer true Is the job a good one ? Hmmm.........it used to be The experience of working in a large teaching hospital is invaluable, but as I review other RN postings, I realize that I am significantly underpaid for what I do

Hi, The new eNLC information is really confusing, and it will take a while for everyone to be on the same page. I think ( I hope ) this explains your situation. As a North Dakota resident you can use your compact license to work in Oklahoma. Because Oklahoma just joined the eNLC, however, all of the nurses who are legal residents of Oklahoma are given a choice of keeping a single state license or getting a compact license. They must actually apply for the compact license through the state BON and get approved, before they can have multi-state privileges. This is also true for nurses in Florida, Georgia, West Virginia, and Wyoming, because all of these states just joined the compact. When you move to Oklahoma, you will lose your North Dakota compact license. You will have to apply for a new Oklahoma compact license. If you were moving from Virginia (an original NLC state), to Maine ( another original NLC state), you could practice in Maine, using your Virginia license, until your Maine license was issued. The new rules state that you must apply for your Maine license as soon as you establish legal residence in Maine. As far as what rules apply to Colorado, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island nurses.......every one of their BON websites says a slightly different thing. Three of these states joined the eNLC at the last minute, and Rhode Island just introduced a bill into the state legislature. Supposedly if you log onto NURSYS.com, you can see what states you can practice in with your current license. I also recommend looking at the NCSBON website. It has a lot of really excellent information that will probably help you. Try e-mailing Jim Puente at the NCSBON. He is one of the directors there and understands how confusing this transition is for all of us. Good Luck!

I am happy to report that the states of New Mexico and Colorado just passed the "Enhanced Nurse Compact". Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Michigan, Vermont, and Massachusetts all have pending ELC legislation. I really look forward to the possibility of needing only one RN license to practice anywhere in the United States.

Colorado should join the "Enhanced Compact" in a few days. The bill has passed in the Colorado Senate, and should pass in the House tomorrow. The bill has been fast -tracked through the Colorado legislature by the Colorado BON, and the Colorado State Nurses Association, so it has plenty of support.

Just noticed that the New Mexico BON website has a very thorough explanation of the Enhanced Compact. NMbon.sks.com/

Hi, New Mexico has pre-filed legislation to join the "Enhanced Nurse Compact". The New Mexico SBON hopes that this bill will pass through congress quickly (in a few days), so that all current New Mexico RNs will be grandfathered into the new Enhanced Compact. Congress has until January 19,2018 to do this, as that is when the Enhanced Compact becomes official. If the NM bill is passed, then you will not need to do anything with your New Mexico license, and it will be good in 27 other states. Colorado is also attempting to quickly pass the Enhanced Compact. Vermont has introduced a bill for Enhanced Compact status, and the Minnesota SBON also seems to support joining the compact. In a few years your NM license may be good in 40 states. Finally-how exciting for all of us! I hope this info helps.

Hello Everyone, Just took my CGRN exam for the first time, and I passed. Since this site has been so helpful to me, I wanted to "pay it forward". I thought the test was very hard. I studied quite a bit, but feel like I may have concentrated on the wrong material. I used the "Mometrix CGRN Exam Secrets" study guide, and the "SGNA Core Curriculum" ( Gastroenterology-5th Edition). I recommend using the Mometrix book as your main study source. The SGNA book is a good choice for information that isn't in Mometrix, but it is much too long ( 500 pages) to be a study guide. The test seems to be fairly written, but it covers a lot of information. I recommend learning about manometry tests, scope washing protocols, and ERCP protocols ( especially drugs used during the procedure-we don't use any of these drugs at our facility, but they are mentioned in the Mometrix book). Learn about as many different "GI" diseases as you can. My test had quite a few questions about a disease that is quite rare, and I have absolutely never seen. Learn as many of the "GI" drugs as you can ( including doses, rare side effects, and contraindications). Learn what the expected medical treatments are for both early onset, and advanced stages of common "GI" diseases. Learn about cancer staging with FNA procedures. I took quite a few practice tests, before I sat for my CGRN exam. The free practice tests offered on the SGNA website seemed much easier that the actual exam. The practice test questions at the end of the Mometrix book were a little more difficult, but the actual exam was harder still. The practice questions in the SGNA book were not at all like the actual exam questions ( well, perhaps 10% of them were). So,yes, I was a little overwhelmed when I saw the actual exam. My exam was graded using a "scaled score" with a passing grade of 450 (similar to SAT scores). I found out what my grade was as soon as I finished the exam. "Good Luck" to all of you future test takers! This test is clearly difficult. With the right preparation, and perseverance, however, it is passable. Hope my update was helpful.